2014 Abu Dhabi Test

2014 Abu Dhabi Test

Date

Circuit

Fastest driver

The 2014 Abu Dhabi Test is the fourth and final in-season testing event of 2014. Held two days after the culmination of the 2014 season, the testing will mainly be for testing 2015 car parts. The event will be held over two days, the 25th and 26th of November, and will consist of two sessions each day.

McLaren will run a Honda engine in an interim chassis dubbed the MP4-29H/1X1. It failed to run in either morning session and only attempted five laps in total, completing three and stopping out on track on the other two.

Force India tested the info wing, which shows race data to the fans from on top of the airbox, on the second day.

All eyes were on McLaren-Honda as they prepared for the beginning of a new partnership. While the car had been tested at a promotional event two weeks previously, this was to be the first time the car was to be driven properly. However, the car did not make an appearance in the morning session due to electrical issues and only managed three installation laps – the second of which he stopped out on track and caused a red flag.

Valtteri Bottas, in his Williams-Mercedes, topped the timesheets for most of the day, setting a new best time in the last fifteen minutes. Fellow Finn Kimi Räikkönen was about half a second down, while 2014 Championship runner-up Nico Rosberg was third fastest, driving the most laps on the day (114). Jolyon Palmer's best time was just 0.004 seconds slower than Rosberg, and only managed 37 laps due to an engine issue.